it is wednesday, august 26th, 2009. in the "cnn newsroom" this morning remembering the power and passion of the senate's unapologetic liberal. >> as i look ahead, i am strengthened by family and friendship. so many of you have been with me in the happiest days and the hardest days. together we have known success and seen setbacks. victory and defeat. but we have never lost our belief that we are all called to a better country and a newer world. >> a chapter closes on a family's extraordinary political dynas dynasty. this hour, senator edward

kennedy's long legacy from civil rights to health care reform. hello, welcome, everyone. i'm tony harris and you're in the "cnn newsroom." he became the patriarch of one of america's most liberal families. the liberal lion of the senate, he was considered one of the most defective lawmakers of the past few decades and senator edward kennedy held the torch for a new generation of leaders with his endorsement of president barack obama's presidential bid. >> i believe a wave of change is moving across america if we do not turn aside and we dare to set our course for the shores of hope. we, together, will go beyond the divisions of the past and find our place to build the america of the future, my friend, i ask you to join in this historic journey to have the courage to

choose change. it's time again for a new generation of leadership, it is time now for barack obama. >> president obama paid tribute to senator kennedy in a statement just a short while ago. >> the outloving of pride, gratitude and fond memories is testament to the way this figure in american history touched so many lives. his ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives. seniors who know dignity and families that know new opportunity and in children who know education's promise and in all we can pursue their dream in an america that is more equal and more just. including myself. the kennedy name is synonymous with the democratic party and at times ted was the target of

partisan campaign attacks, but in the united states senate, i can think of no one who engendered greater respect or affection for members of both sides of the aisle. >> for more now on senator kennedy's life and legacy, i am joined by my colleague, wolf blitzer in washington. wolf, good morning. >> good morning, tony. thanks very much. i want to alert our viewers, we are standing by to speak with senator john mccain a close, personal friend of senator kennedy and with former president jimmy carter. both of those interviews are coming up. i guess senator mccain is already on the line with us. senator mccain, if you're there, i know this is a sad day for you and so many of the colleagues that you have, but it wasn't just liberal democrats who loved senator kennedy, it was a lot of conservative republicans. >> oh, there was because ted kennedy had this unique way of doing hand-to-hand combat on the floor of the senate and as soon

as we stopped our speechmaking he'd come over and put his arm around you and make everybody appreciate that we had our differences, politically, but personally we could be friends and work together as colleagues and friends for the good of the country. >> how much will he be missed in the senate. >> he's already missed, wolf. i think we may have made progress on this health care issue if he had been there. he had this unique capability to sit people down at a table together and i've been there on numerous occasions and, really negotiate, which means concessions and, so, he will not only will be missed, but he has been missed. >> he worked with you closely on immigration reform, on education, a whole bunch of other issues. he had that unique ability to get people of different political persuasions on the same page. >> he did. let me just give you a small example. he had his hide away up in the capital and it was pretty nice.

he was one of the most senior members and he walked into his hide away and there were pictures of jack kennedy, bobby, of his childhood and his family and kind of take you on a little tour, you know, his brothers and tell stories and anecdotes and put you at ease and whenever there was -- he had had a remare way of sending a little note or calling your family. i know your time is limited, but when russ fine gold and i were awarded the john f. kennedy profiles and award it hapened to coincide with my son jimmy's 10th birthday and please come early because it's important. make a long story short we came with my son, jimmy, there was a coast guard cutter with a cruise around boston harbor, three birthday cakes, they sang happy birthday to him like ten times

and probably the best birthday that jimmy mccain ever had. that was ted kennedy. >> unique presence for 40 plus years in the senate. now there is no kennedy in the united states senate. do you believe in your gut, you alluded to this, mr. mccain, if he had been healthy over the last several months some sort of compromise on health care could have emerged? >> i think we would have made great progress. i know there would have been serious negotiations and so far there really has not been serious negotiations in all due respect and that would have happened and so, therefore, i think we certainly had a far better chance of an outcome. >> everyone says that senator kennedy, even though he was very liberal when it came to making deals, he could bridge that gap and he was a man of his word and that you and senator orrin hatch and a lot of other conservative republicans trusted him, is that right? >> that is absolutely correct.

probably the most overrated aspect of the united states senate is that people keep their word. ted kennedy always kept his word. he would keep his word to the point where he would vote against his positions in order to preserve a carefully crafted compromise. >> people are watching here in the united states, indeed, all over the world. senator mccain. give me a final thought. maybe something you would want to address directly to the kennedy family. >> well, there's, there's one thing that i think has epitomized the kennedy family and that is service the country. and a country above one's own self interest. ted kennedy, i think, epitomized that service to the country. he had a very heavy burden with incredible tradition to carry on and he shoulder itted it and be

an institution within an institution and all of us will not only miss him, but perhaps maybe try to carry on his legacy of reaching across the aisle and getting things done for the american people. and we need this now more than ever before. >> senator mccain, good luck. thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you, wolf. >> from senator mccain, let's go to ramallah on the west bank, the former president of the united states jimmy cartser joining us now. president carter, i know this is a sad time for you, even though going back to 1980 you were political rivals for the presidential democratic nomination. give osthought of what's going through your mind right now. >> well, we have already expressed our personal condolences and prayers to the kennedy family, with a firm expression from our family that we've never seen anyone in the

senate that more assiduously and enthusiastically dedicated his life to trying to make sure that everything the u.s. government decided was in the best interest of the people who were deprived of poor, neglected or felt rav nls of discrimination and we really, really appreciate what ted kennedy meant to us personally and to our nation and i don't think there is anybody, either, that could say there has been a more effective senator in promoting his own ideals that are very high than ted kennedy did. >> i know we have a delay in our interview because of the satellite. give us your perspective of the two or three biggest legislative accomplishments of senator ted kennedy's life? >> i don't think there's any doubt as far as my family was concerned it is what ted kennedy and his son and the house of representatives did working with

roseline, my wife, making possible legislation last year that eliminated the discrimination against the mentally ill people and put the mentally ill on the same basis with physically ill people, as far as getting guarantees of adequate insurance is concerned. this is something my wife worked before we went into national politics when i was governor and this was kind of the culmination of her achievement and removing the stigma from mental health, mental illness and promoting it and what ted kennedy did in the senate and what his houson did the house of representatives. so, this is the most important single piece of legislation that has affected our family. >> that was congressman patrick kennedy of rhode island who, himself, suffered from some problems as far as mental health is concerned. let's go back to 1980. i was rereading adam climber's

book on senator kennedy and in that book he makes the point that one reason why senator kennedy decided to challenge you for the democratic presidential nomination was because he was disappointed you weren't moving more quickly on health care reforms, specifically a national health insurance program. is that your recollection? >> not at all. i have the opposite impression of that. fred kennedy began running against me about the middle of 1979 and in the fall of 1979, he was 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 ahead of me in the national opinion poll. we had a very tough, hard-fou t hard-fought, maybe sometimes divisive campaign against in the winter and spring time of 1980 and eventually i defeated kennedy quite severely and i think that was one of the things that divided our party the rest of that year.

but i worked very eagerly to try to get a comprehensive health bill passed and although it didn't meet the perfection standards that senator kennedy exposed, it would have been a major step forward. we didn't quite agree on the technique getting health care guaranteed for everyone, but we both had our hearts in the same direction, i would say. >> it was a tough political process that you and senator kennedy went through for that democratic nomination. but i remember and we've spoken about this in the past, you and i, president carter. he didn't even shake your hand at that democratic convention and that sort of set the tone for a lot of democrats, perhaps not voting for you when the november election came. >> i don't think there's any doubt about that. as i said in my previous remarks. the democratic party division

that was promulgated between the kennedy group and mine was never healed during that summertime and the fall campaign and that was one of the factors that was important in a general election, but after that occurred and even before i went out of office, ted kennedy and i were completely reconciled as far as friendship was concerned and since then we never had a major problem that dealt with the carter center's business or in any way related to health or welfare or poor people in this country and others. i have called on ted kennedy as a friend and he's always been fully supported. those political squirmishes were soon forgotten and the friendship prevailed. >> so, what were these years since you left office and you left the white house? you did have a good working relationship with senator kennedy? >> absolutely. we cooperated on health matters

and on welfare matters and on immigration matters and also on things that concern the carter senator in our work, which is 75% involved in dealing with neglected diseases overseas. and he was very interested in our work there. also, we work very closely with the centers for disease control and that was another interest that ted kennedy had. but to repeat myself, the major issue on which we cooperated as families included me, as well as my wife was a mental health program and that turned out to be gloriously successful, but my hope is now by the way although ted kennedy won't be active on the floor any more, that his legacy, his commitment, the residence of the speeches that he made dedication of our lifetime will be remembered by his peers in the senate and also his friendship of people in the house and then we can still have a comprehensive health program

pased this year. that's my hope and i really believe that would be the culmination of the kennedy family. >> i know your time is limited, president carter, but, quickly, you're there in the middle east right now, you were in israel and now rumalla and the west bank. you were meeting with israelis and palestinians amid a lot of speculation that peace talk business between the israelis and palestinians could potentially get off the ground very soon. what is your assessment? >> there is a great deal of pessimism here in the west bank and i would say in israel, as well. last night we met with about 15 of the top leaders in the business and financial community of israel and the most strongest points made was that one of the greatest mistakes that israel has ever made for the israeli people was the building of settlements in palestinian and,

of course, i think it's very wise that president obama has singled that out as a test case. if that can be maintained without deviation by our country, which has been agreed to in the annapolis meeting by the former prime minister of israel and also repeated by the internation al cortet last year last month in july that those additional settlements should be built in the occupied territories and that should include a national expansion and that is a major step forward and everyone over here is praying that our country would be successful in that premise and then go on to good faith negotiati negotiations. there's no doubt in my mind that everyone over here is watching very closely to see what we will do. i understand this is a possibility next month or something, i'm not speaking for anybody. i don't have any inside information that they may put forward a comprehensive plan to

what they mean to all the israelis and neighbors including the lebanese and the syrians. that's our prayer and that's our hope. >> good luck over there, president carter. we'll see you back here in the united states and thanks for joining us on this day to remember senator kennedy. good luck with the peace process in the middle east, as well. jimmy carter is the former president of the united states. don't forget later tonight, 7:00 p.m. eastern, we will reair hbo's special documentary on senator ted kennedy. senator kennedy in his own words, 7:00 p.m. eastern. this is a two-hour documentary you'll want to see and hear later tonight.

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ia, so much for orderly debate. a health care town hall in virginia erupts in chaos. reform opponents spent two hours to shout down jim moran and howard dean yesterday after publicly pledging to disrupt the event. shiites in iraq are mourning one of their top leaders, abdul. he had been an ally of both the united states and iran. let's return to washington for more on senator kennedy's life and legacy and let's get you back to our wolf blitzer. wolf? >> tony, thanks very much.

ted sorenson adviser and speech writer for senator kennedy. ted sorenson is joining us now from new york. mr. sorensen thank you very much for coming in on this day to remember ted kennedy. what is your best memory of ted kennedy? >> i have so many memories of ted because he's been my friend for 56 years and i can still remember the first weekend we met at the family home in hyannis port and a little over a year ago that he asked me to come to a meeting that he was convening to help plan an institute or a foundation of the study of the history of the united states senate. i gave him a copy of my new book "counselor" with an inscription

especially for him. only a few days later he wrote me thanks for the book and the inscription and a cover letter that predicted a democratic win in the obama election in november of '08, which he said, this is teddy talking to me with optimi optimism. he said that will make possible all the ideals for which you have fought. well, that was very nice of him, but he's the one who's fought for those ideals all these years. >> you've written and spoken about the fact that after chappaquiddick in 1979 one of the first phone calls senator ted kennedy was made to you. tell us about that? >> the telephone call came from

steve smyth which is the all-purpose family coordinator and steve asked if i would come up to teddy's home in hyannis port and try to give some council and assistance on the crisis that faced him. >> and you went. >> i went. i was a lawyer, i was a friend and he needed help and that's been my role over the years is to try to help people and, particularly kennedys. >> did you help him draft that speech he delivered on television after chappaquiddick? >> i had a hand in it, but as i said in my book last year, that whole terrible weekend has been so overreported and so overanalyzed all these years, i don't think it deserves anything that i try to say off the cuff.

here today i'll stand by what i said in the book, which i hope you read. >> a lot of people have. one final question, just a quick thought to his family and you have been so close for more than 50 years to the entire kennedy family, a quick thought from you, ted sorensen to the kennedy family. >> it's a big family. but i want to first say to his wonderful widow, vicki, whose parents i knew long before teddy knew her. her parents are wonderful democrats and public-minded people and vicki herself is a lawyer who was a perfect help mate for teddy. made him happy and pretty much took over all the coordination of his needs during his last year and i want to salute her and thank her.

and to all, i also, of course, want to remind people that there's another kennedy sibling, jean kennedy smith, the former u.s. ambassador to ireland. a formidable lady in her own right and she will now carry on the kennedy legacy and so will the next generation. teddy's children, patrick, a great congressman, ted jr., also in the health care world. his daughter has her own successful career and all the nieces and nephews carolyn kennedy, bobby's children. they are all going to continue in the family tradition of commitment to public service and the national good. >> ted sorensen we appreciate your thoughts very much. thanks so much for joining us.

>> my pleasure. we'll continue to remember the life and times of senator ted kennedy, he's being called the defender of the dream. we're bringing you the pictures and the legacy this hour. [ female announcer ] introducing the latest body wash from olay. tone enriching ribbons. two separate ribbons. the white cleanses. the gold moisturizes and has a touch of mineral shimmer to enhance skin's tone. olay tone enriching body wash. for skin that shimmers. ...or if you're already sick... ...or if you lose your job. your health insurance shouldn't either. so let's fix health care. if everyone's covered, we can make health care as affordable as possible. and the words "pre-existing condition" become a thing of the past... we're america's health insurance companies. supporting bipartisan reform that congress can build on.

you can see, especially flat or negative now, the dow down five points and the nasdaq down five, as well. some more encouraging news today about the housing market. new home sales surged in july for the fourth straight month and, actually exceeded expectations. gerri williseses live from new york. this is good news. by how much did sales increase? >> we saw a pretty dramatic increase, according to the department of housing and urban development and the census department. they say new home sales rose 9.6%, surprising analysts, as you say, the number 433,000 new homes sold in the month of june and that's up from 395,000 in the previous month and it's the highest since last september and, of course, as you know, tony, this is an important indicater for the housing market, but also for the broader economy because the housing industry employed so many people

in the follow on spending when people buy new homes and they buy furniture and carpeting and everything else it takes to run a household it's critical to the broader economy. >> what do these latest numbers seem to indicate say to you about the state of the housing market? >> i think you're beginning to see the early stages of recovery. if you look at some of the other numbers we've gotten recently, existing home sales have experienced four consecutive month of rising sales and that's critically important because the existing market is so much bigger than the new home sales market and also home prices have improved, as well. we got a report recently that for the three-months ended in june, prices, this is critical to americans who own home generally were up 2.9% and that's really important to americans and how confident they feel with their wallets. whether they're going to spend on other things, really, this housing crisis has really stung people, they really have been

depressed about spending. this is beginning to show increases here that could be good news, not just for the broader economy, but for the housing market. one thing improving what is going on right now, housing affordability all-time highs and lowest prices in 20 years, two decades, tony. >> wow, encouraging new numbers. gerri, appreciate it. >> my pleasure. tributes pouring in across the country from the president and his congressional colleagues and the flag atop the capitol hill dome flying at half-staphyl. more from wolf blitzer. wanted . but 5 minutes ago i took symbicort and symbicort is already helping significantly improve my lung function. so today, i've noticed a significant difference in my breathing. and i'm doing more of what i want to do. so we're clear, it doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. my doctor said symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. my copd often meant i had to wait to do what i wanted to do. now i take symbicort and it significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort has made a significant difference in my breathing... now more of my want to's are can do's. ask your doctor about symbicort today. i got my first prescription free. call or go online to learn more. (announcer) if you cannot afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. i think i'll go with the preferred package.

good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. welcome back to the "cnn newsroom" in washington. president obama describes ted kennedy as the greatest united states senator of our time. reaction to the senator's death has been pouring in from the president, the vice president, the lawmakers to talk about it with our senior congressional correspondent dana bash who is here with me and our senior political analyst gloria borger.

let's talk about the president of the united states. he was carefully precise and had his words carefully crafted but he was also speaking from his heart. >> no questions about it. starting at the beginning of the history of his senate then senator obama was much like other young senators coming in. they went straight to the man who could teach them something. that was senator kennedy. it helped that senator kennedy took a liking to then senator obama and thought maybe that he, you know, did have a big future. so, that was the beginning and then, of course, there was the moment in 2008 when senator kennedy endorsed obama instead of clinton. so, they do have a lot of personal connection and they do have critical history, but, actually, we were talking about this earlier, it is really brief. talk to all the people putting out statements, they have known senator kennedy for decades and decades and decades. president obama, they have a tight bond for obvious reasons.

>> one of those people who has known senator kennedy for so long, worked with him for so long was senator biden, now vice president biden. they worked in the senate for a long time and you could see how choked up he was when he spoke off the cuff. >> totally choked up. this is a relationship that goes back three decades and the thing that really struck me about joe biden's statement was something we hear a lot about ted kennedy, which is the sense that after he's endured all the things that he endured during his life, there was this sense of optimism about him. the sense that he would not give up and when joe biden lost his wife and a child in a terrible car accident and was in the hospital with his other two young children t was ted kennedy who called him on the phone and said to him, you can't quit. you've got to stay in the senate because biden, at that time, was just thinking of leaving the senate because, obviously, he had many more things on his mind

and 'twit was ted kennedy who brought in doctors. it just wasn't for joe biden. this is something that people talk about over and over and over again about the way senator kennedy operated and that is, he understood the power of personal relationships and he did it with barack obama. the first person who ever told me to pay attention to barack obama was senator ted kennedy and i remember running into him in the capital and he said to me, you know that barack obama, you pay attention to senator barack obama. he's going somewhere. >> and even the republicans are coming out and praising him and we heard senator mccain just a little while ago speak from his heart, as well. >> i think we have a written statement from senator orrin hatch who is a good friend of senator kennedy's even though he is a conservative republican that could read that. i was caught with conservative fire in my belly and took on any and anyone who stood in my way, including ted kennedy.

we almost always disagreed on all issues we could get together and find common ground which is essential in passing legislation. now, i mean, we talked about this for so many hours now, the fact of the matter is that republicans love to hate ted kennedy and love to use him for fund-raising and love to use unflattering pictures of him and he was the ultimate liberal, but at the same time, they knew when they needed to get things done, when they really wanted to get things done, they could come to him. as senator mccain said adjust short while ago, when senator kennedy gave him his word, they believe that he -- >> wasn't senator mccain or senator hatch would like to use unflattering pictures or use senator kennedy in these fund-raising. >> kennedy was very well aware of it and used to kind of laugh it off. he understood he was a target and also use it to his own advantage to raise money for the democratic party. but i think what we're talking about here is senator orrin hatch with john mccain is not the so-called career politicians that we heard about.

this is career legislatures. this is what senator ted kennedy was. he was a career legislature, the best of his generation and maybe the best we'll ever know. but that's what he dedicated his life to once he figured out he could not defeat jimmy carter for the democratic nomination. >> back in 1980 we spoke to jimmy carter about that. thank you very much. don't go away. go back it tony and he's watching what's going on, as well. >> wolf, appreciate it. thank you. let's check other stories in the news right now. the taliban are denying any involvement in a bombing that killed 43 people in kandahar, afghanistan, yesterday. the associated press said it received a denial in a text message from the militant group's spokesman. a wildfire raging in the los angeles national forest and 1,000 firefighters were on the scene right now of the 750,000 acre fire. fire officials say it's less than 10% contained. his message was clear and ted kennedy never wavered

throughout good times and bad. >> beyond what he was in life to be remembered as simply a good and decent man who saw wrong and tried to right it and saw suffering and tried to heal it and saw a war and tried to stop it. those of us who loved him and take him to his rest today pray that what he was to us, what he wished for others will some day come to pass for all the world. u offers an epa estimated 33 mpg highway? they never heard that. which is better than a comparable toyota camry or honda accord? they're stunned. they can't believe it. they need a minute. i had a feeling they would. there's never been more reasons to look at chevy.

in the after math of hurricane katrina a mentally disabled man was shot ask killed by police today almost four years later police are still trying to figure out what happened and the family is still seeking justice. drew griffin has more as part of our special katrina anniversary coverage. >> reporter: four years after the storm, a mystery remains about the shootings on the danzerger bring, but everyone does agree on one point that first sunday after the hurricane, police shot and killed a 40-year-old mentally handicapped man. the question, was it justified? madison says there is only one answer. >> you believe police, police new orleans police murdered your brother. >> yes, i do.

>> and then covered it up. >> yes. >> now, four years later armed with a search warrant, the fbi and other federal law enforcement officials descended on the new orleans police department seizing records, investigative files, evidence madison believes will prove a police cover up. it was in the chaos engulfing new orleans that lance madison and his mentally handicapped brother ronald fleeing flood waters ran head on into what has become known as the danzeger bridge killings. >> kept running up the bridge here and trying to zigzag so they wouldn't hit him. >> reporter: driving a postal truck. what they didn't know was the armed men were actually police who thought they were coming to the rescue. there had been a frantic radio call that sunday morning. it was reporting police under fire, contractors being shot at on this bridge.

it turns tout was all just one big mistake in the chaos after katrina. some would say it was based on lies. there were no contractors under fire on this bridge. police never found anybody with a gun. what they did find was a man running away from them, down this bridge. they chased him, shot him and killed him. two people were killed that day. ronald madison was one of them and another four were wounded. the seven police officers involved have always said the shooting was justified. and the new orleans police department, which investigated itself agreed. the civil rights division of the department of justice is trying to figure out precisely what happened on the bridge and as peter sharp points out, it is now the new orleans police investigation itself that is being investigated. >> the more critical question is not the bridge, but can this

police department investigate itself? >> reporter: police say they fired in self-defense when madison reached for his waist and turned on them. but over the past four years, cnn has been uncovering details that raised doubts. an autopsy revealing madison was shot in the back, lack of any evidence madison was ever armed and finding a witness who says he saw officers line-up and gun down a man running away. >> with all motion, movement and just -- >> reporter: then how did he fall? >> he just fell like, like he was collapsing. like, like he was collapsing. like something had just wiped him out. >> reporter: you didn't see any gun on him? >> i didn't see any on him. >> reporter: seven police officers cheered as heroes by their colleagues were indicted for the murder and attempted

murder of ronald madison. but the case was thrown out on a technicality and six of the officers are now back on the street. do you believe these officers did nothing wrong? that there was no sign of misconduct on that bridge? >> none whatsoever. we're confident these officers acting appropriately and hurowically and this investigation will have the same conclusion as the last one. >> reporter: madison says in the aftermath of katrina, the police force did what it wanted. of all the victims of hurricane katrina, your brother among them, was justs and the rule of law also a victim in this town? >> yes. they were just, they were just as badly wounded as my brother was because it just doesn't exist. >> reporter: the federal justice department wouldn't comment for this story, wouldn't confirm that they're investigating the possibility of a cover up by the new orleans police, but the

justice department is promising a thorough review of the facts and circumstances surrounding the shooting on the danzerger bridge. drew griffin, cnn, atlanta.

health care reform was a passionate priority for ted kennedy. the senator's death comes as the debate reaches a critical point in congress. let's talk to senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, and in arlington, virginia, politico.com's jeanne cummings. ladies, good to talk with both of you. elizabeth, let me start with you. it's important to remember now, as we continue along the path in this debate over health care and health care reform that senator kennedy was talking about this issue long before many, and he never gave up the issue. >> right. it's hard to remember now, as we're all so steeped in health care reform, but in the 1970s there weren't a whole lot of people who were talking about it in the same way that he was. as tony said, he did not get off it, as a matter of fact he wrote

a story in "newsweek" magazine that i have right here. and he calls it the cause of his life. that's what he calls it, the cause of his life, and he never gave up on it. and one of the reasons, tony, we were talking about that, this is when his son, teddy jr. had cancer. >> that's right. >> he was in an experimental study. and the study ended early, and the study gave free care. but when it ended early, a lot of the kids had no place to go. they had no more free care and no insurance. some of the parents were asking, can they get half the chemotherapy. he was saying, what a terrible thing to all of a sudden start thinking that my child can get half the chemotherapy because i can't afford the whole therapy. he knew he had to do something. >> i'm curious about this, maybe you heard this, senator john mccain said in his conversation with wolf earlier this hour that we might be in a different place on the health care issue with senator kennedy at the center of a discussion. do you agree with that? and i'm wondering how the conversation might be different that we're having right now? >> well, i think that this may, you know, really motivate and

embolden those who want reform to do it in honor of his lifetime service. i think that could have an impact on many senators who were very close to him. the concern, tony, is that both sides of this debate could take his death as their rallying cause and that they could -- it could prevent the kind of compromise that is necessary to get the bill through. >> yeah. >> a compromise, in fact, that maybe only kennedy could have bartered, or somebody's got to step up to the plate here and barter it. so, he's not going to be there to do it. he hasn't been there to do it, and we have yet to see someone rise to step into that role. >> and, elizabeth, i want to give the same question to you. what will the loss of senator kennedy, in your estimation, mean for the health care debate and the reform effort moving forward? >> i think to some extent, it depends on how politicians can sort of harness any feelings, any sentiment that is here as a

result of the senator's death. i mean, are they able to say, wow were look at what this man did while he was alive. this was his lifelong dream, let's make it happen. >> yeah. >> is there that kind of sentiment? is there that kind of love out there for the senator to make that happen? i think as jeanne said, there's also a loss, because he -- maybe he could have done the bartering and now he's not here to do that. jeanne cummings, appreciate it. good to see you, jeanne. and, elizabeth, as well. elizabeth, you'll be back live with us next hour. you actually have for us a story about a young girl whose life was literally saved because of the intervention of senator kennedy. >> right. we usually think of senator kennedy in a macro way, health care policy reform, but this was a micro way where he managed to safe the life of a little baby who was stuck in soviet, russia. senator kennedy flew to the soviet union to save this little girl and the rest of her family. and i'll have that story up in the next hour. >> okay. and that is coming up next hour right here in the "cnn newsroom." we're going to take a quick break. wow, is this... fiber one honey clusters? yes.

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we are hearing from many of you today with your thoughts about the passing of senator ted kennedy. our josh levs is here with some of your tributes. josh? >> tony, since this morning we've had an assignment up on ireport.com inviting people to send their thoughts. let's go to a quote pulled out from kyle in kentucky, tell us what he's thinking about today when he thinks about senator kennedy.

he said, i love to watch ted on the floor, jumping up and down, hollering and screams at the other congress members, fighting for the little guy. he goes on to say, the most memorable moment for him was when they said they should be ashamed for giving themselves a raise and not giving themselves a minimum wage increase. we invite you to go to our blogs cnn.com/tony or /josh either way. you can get going. and we have a conversation on facebook, links to videos and your thoughts. we've got it all going. i'll be camped out here following your reactions. >> josh, thank you. >> you got it. flags on capitol hill are flying at half-staff and newspaper headlines herald the end of an era. the death of senator ted kennedy, the patriarch of one of america's mom prominent families. the liberal lion of the senate died after a 15-month battle with brain cancer. president obama said the country has lost a great leader.

>> the outpouring of love, gratitude and fond memories to which we've all borne witness is a testament to the way the singular figure in american history touched so many live. his ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives, and seniors who know new dignity and families that know new opportunity, in children who know education's promise, and in all who can pursue their dream in an america that is more equal and more just, including myself. >> for more on senator kennedy's life and legacy to washington now, and our wolf blitzer. wolf? >> all right, tony, thanks very much. we're just getting word in now on the burial of senator kennedy, where it will be taking place. we're learning it will be taking place at arlington national cemetery, near the plots of his two brothers, president john f. kennedy and the former attorney general, bobby kennedy.

that's where senator kennedy will be buried. our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, has been getting details of the burial at arlington national cemetery here in washington, d.c. only appropriate that senator kennedy should be buried alongside his two brothers at arlington national cemetery, across the potomac river from washington, d.c. barbara is joining us now live. barbara, tell us exactly what you're learning. >> well, wolf, we have just confirmed with the senator u.s. military official that, yes, senator kennedy will be buried at arlington national cemetery, his final resting place will be very close to that of his brothers, robert kennedy and the late senator john kennedy. arlington officials have received this final word from the kennedy family, and the arrangements are being made. what we are told is no date and time has yet been finalized, but there now is the arrangement

that senator kennedy will be buried at arlington. we know some more details. very sensitive to discuss all of this, because, of course, this is a matter for the kennedy family to discuss. but what we have confirmed is that the final resting place will be about 95 feet away from the grave site of the late senator robert kennedy. for people who have been to arlington, there currently are basically two kennedy grave site areas, that of the late president and a few feet away from him, senator robert kennedy, and now about 90 feet away from senator robert kennedy's final resting place will be senator edward kennedy. a couple of weeks ago arlington and army officials met with members of senator kennedy's staff. they outlined the area at arlington that they had identified. they certainly showed it to them. they went through all of it and presented this plan to them. that plan was taken to the

kennedy family, and, of course, we know now this was at a time when senator kennedy's health was failing, but it was presented to the kennedy family. and now all of this essentially accepted. he will be buried at arlington, and he will be just a few feet from his brothers, wolf? >> off the top of your head, do you know, barbara, the requirements that are necessary to allow someone to be buried at arlington cemetery? >> well, wolf, senator kennedy would have been eligible, we are told, for burial at arlington on the basis of two criteria that will be apparent to people. one, of course, he passed away as a serving member of the united states congress. also, what people may not recall is as a young man, senator kennedy served in the u.s. army from about 1951 to 1953. served overseas during the korean war, but served in europe and served honorably, and when you honorably serve in the u.s. army, you are potentially

eligible for burial at arlington. and, certainly, let's be very clear, with the situation of his brothers being buried there and his family tragically having this long history at arlington, this had been something, we are told, had been in the works for a long time for these types of arrangements to be made. the u.s. military already potentially getting ready for this. there are a number of ceremonial military units here in washington. they are watching developments very carefully. we've spoken to some of their representatives. they know they may be called upon to render honors. there are very specific honors rendered for a congressional funeral. all of this, we must emphasize, will depend on the wishes of the kennedy family. there will be discussions with them. whatever they want is what the u.s. government and the u.s. military, of course, would do. but there are -- are procedures, rituals, if you will, for a congressional funeral.

that could include a military pallbear pallbearers, a firing salute at the grave site, a bugler, all of that. ed kind the kind of things that would be rendered for americans fallen in war. senator kennedy was a veteran. >> barbara starr with the news that senator kennedy will be buried not far away from his two brothers, bobby kennedy, john f. kennedy at arlington national cemetery. no date yet announced for that burial. thank you, barbara, very much. senator kennedy was the last surviving brother of an american political dynasty. he was diagnosed with brain cancer in may of last year. the family issued this statement after he lost his battle with the disease. edward m. kennedy -- the husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle we loved so deeply, died late tuesday night at home in hyannis

port. we've lost the irreplaceable center of our family. deborah feyerick is with us there, the mood must be somber even as they celebrate his life. >> reporter: it is. we've seen a number of people coming by, children on their bicycles. we saw patrick kennedy who is a congressman from rhode island returning to his father's home. he spent the majority there yesterday along his father's bed along with other family members praying with his dad, almost all day, according to a reverend who was there. about the same time, a champagne-colored van believed to be from the funeral home also arrived. going down the street to the third, the fourth house there. again, that's believed to be from the funeral home. that was traveling with two other cars. family members, extended family members, relatives, friends have been going to both that home and the home of ethyl kennedy, which

is just next door. but, again, there's so many members of the media here, and they're really just quietly and very serenely going down to the homes without stopping, without chatting to anyone. now, we did speak earlier to the reverend patrick tarrant. he was with kennedy when he died. >> i was there last night when he died, and the whole family were praying. they'd been praying all day. and it was a wonderful experience for me. i don't see it that often. you know? i'm very impressed. >> reporter: how would you describe it? it must have been very sad to be there, but i wonder if aside from that, faith carried people through. >> well, the truth is, he had expressed to his family that he did want to go -- he did want to go to heaven. he did want to die, and he did

want to go. he was ready to go. and there was a certain amount of peace. there was a lot of peace, actually, you know, in the family, getting together last night. >> reporter: and what was really moving were comments made by the senator's son, patrick kennedy, who's quoted in a local paper saying, you know, this last year knowing that ted kennedy was sick, it really gave the entire family a chance to bond, a chance to share stories, be together, and tell one another just how much they loved each other. so, though he's passed and though it is sad, at least they had a chance to be there with him at the end. wolf? >> deborah feyerick, joining us from hyannis port where the kennedy family spent so many wonderful days. appreciate it, deb, very much. an important reminder to our viewers, tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern, cnn will air hbo's acclaimed documentary, "teddy in his own words."

it chronicles his life, his childhood, to the speech at the 2008 democratic convention. it has archival footage, that's hbo's "teddy in his own words" that's tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. let's go back to tony harris for more. tony? >> wolf, i appreciate it. i want to tell you the viewers in the newsroom are sharing their thoughts about senator kennedy's life. this one from donna, this is a sad day for me and millions of americans. ted was our voice. even with his health, he knew the suffering of millions and he didn't turn a blind eye like so many others do. karl said the nation has lost a statesman and an outstanding voice for our labor force. ted kennedy seemed to understand the needs of working men and women sometimes better than they did. sad from minnesota, i shall remember senator kennedy for his unflinching iron will in the face of so many devastating

personal tragedies. you can remember senator kennedy for his long years of service in the u.s. senate on our blog, cnn.com/tony. we would love to hear from you. thousands of firefighters are on the scene of a 750-acre fire in the angeles national forest. fire officials say the fire is less than 10% contained. let's bring in our chad myers now, chad, this seems to be a pretty classic case, where the steep terrain and the heat making it really tough for firefighters to get a handle on this. >> take a look at what is behind me, smoke. we know there are helicopters out there and airplanes trying to put out the posicheck but the smoke is choking here and that's making it difficult for the firefighters to get in. that's a good news, though, because the heat is less a problem than the wind. here's tropical storm danny, d-a-n-n-y. you say, what happened to "c"?

claudette moved up to parts of florida. this is danny, gusting to 60 miles an hour. the only problem with this storm is that the center's almost all the way over here. most of the convection is especially on the east side of this storm. and i think that's probably going to be a problem for the next couple of hours until this thing gets its act together. it is forecast to become a hurricane. now, you have to look at the cone, tony. >> uh-huh, yep. >> this hurricane, if it is one as a category 1, could be all the way to the north carolina coast or well out to the ocean. and the center actually gets it very close to cape cod. not a track all that different from bill. >> that's right. >> but not a category 4 hurricane. now, in my mind, there's not that many differences between the two storms, except at this point, danny doesn't have as good of a run going for it. >> got you. >> it's not as big of a storm. but the water is just as warm. the air is just as calm around it. this could get to a bigger storm than the computers are forecasting. we'll certainly watch it for you as it makes a run to the east coast of the u.s. >> yeah. >> by friday night into

saturday. that's saturday morning right there. >> all right, chad, thank you. >> you're welcome. a question for you, what will the loss for senator ted kennedy mean as the fight for health care reform moves forward? floats through the air. but with the strength of zyrtec ® , the fastest, 24-hour allergy relief, i promise not to wait as long to go for our ride. with zyrtec ® i can love the air ™ . i promise not to wait as long to go fupbeat rock. ♪ so i could hear myself myseas a ringtone ♪hone ♪ ♪ who knew the store would go and check my credit score ♪ ♪ now all they let me have is this dinosaur ♪ ♪ hello hello hello can anybody hear me? ♪ ♪ i know i know i know i shoulda gone to ♪ ♪ free credit report dot com! ♪ that's where i shoulda gone! coulda got my knowledge on! ♪ ♪ vo: free credit score and report with enrollment in triple advantage.

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like a new microwave. and because of walmart's unbeatable prices, we were able to get it all. ...and then some. set them up for success-- for less. save money. live better. walmart. welcome back. we're remembering senator ted kennedy who died overnight. the senate seat left empty by the death of senator kennedy

will not be filled right away. that's because massachusetts law does not allow a gubernatorial appointee. instead, a special election will be held within five months. the law says no sooner than 145 days and no later than 160 days after a vacancy occurs. the winner of that election serves the remainder of the senator's unexpired term, which in this case would be until january 20th, 2013. until january 2013. a letter from kennedy just released last week, by the way, asked state law makers to change the law to give the governor the ability to appoint a replacement until the special election. senator kennedy was clearly concerned about the effects of a long-term vacancy of the senate seat because it deprives the democrats of the 60-vote supermajority at this critical point in the health care debate. let's talk about this, and more, with our senior congressional correspondent, dana bash, and our senior political analyst, gloria

borger. it's ironic, the democrats wanted this law in the first place, but now they regret it. >> right. i mean, some regret it, at least senator kennedy clearly regretted it, at least that's why he wrote the letter. but the reaction to his request and the request specifically was not to change the law for -- for a special election, but to provide for an interim replacement, somebody who -- what kennedy wanted was somebody who promised no to run. the law does not allow for that now. but the reaction among massachusetts lawmakers, even democrats, at the time was lukewarm. we'll see what happens now. republicans were pretty vocal about the fact that they're opposed to it for the reason you just said. they said, wait a minute, this was a law that was changed just in 2004 and it was changed in order to protect the seat, to keep it in democratic hands, if the other senator, john kerry, would have won the white house against george bush, which obviously didn't happen. >> it's one less critical seat, critical vote, that the president of the united states would have had, at least in the short term, on health care

reform. >> yeah, absolutely. i mean, the -- the white house was worried about getting 60 votes. ted kennedy was very important in many ways to health care reform, not the least of which was his vote. which they'd like to have obviously. >> yeah. >> so, let's take a look at the historic nature, the end of the kennedys, at least the kennedy brothers, that all of us are so familiar with. the fourth of the kennedy brothers. there was joe kennedy, who died in a plane crash during world war ii. the eldest brother, the president john f. kennedy, bobby kenne kennedy, the senator, both of whom were assassinated, and now senator kennedy dies of natural causes. >> you know, this is the closest thing we have to a political dynasty, i think, in this country. and i think in many ways, when you look at that family, as i think senator mccain said to you earlier, wolf, you think about public service. and when you think of senator ted kennedy, i think the question many people ask is, how did he endure through all of these tragedies that he lived through in his life?

and i did ask him about that once in an interview, and he said, you know, you try to live with the upside. you live with the joyous aspects. and he said, i try to muffle the sadness of it. and then he said at one point he said, you know, i don't do as well as others in trying to talk about my inner feel iing, but h does have them, when you talk to people in the senate about it, they always say, as joe biden said earlier, ted kennedy, when there's a tragedy in your family, ted kennedy was the first person to write a note, to pick up the telephone. but when they went to embrace him, when he suffered tragedy, he couldn't really talk about it, and he always turned it to business. >> right. because he -- because he suffered so much. and i think you just pointed this out, and it's worth noting that there were four kennedy brothers, and he is the only one that didn't die tragically and young. the oldest brother, who their father, joe kennedy really thought he would be the president. joe kennedy jr., he was killed in world war ii and the other

two were assassinated. so, this is the only one that lived a relatively long life and died of natural cause. but the thing that always struck me, gloria, about senator kennedy, is, i questions it's hard not to be, but how self-aware he was. he understood the impact of a hand on a back, of -- of a laugh, of a handshake in a certain way. the impact that he would have on -- on a person he would meet, whether it was a tourist or a constituent, but, more importantly, in terms of getting things done. >> i think the two of you will agree. i want to just wrap this up. that he would have loved in caroline kennedy, his niece -- >> sure. >> -- would have been the u.s. senator from new york state, but that wasn't going to happen. >> no. i think that was, in fact, one of the reasons why she gave it such serious consideration. she's not a natural politician. has never had an inclination -- >> right. >> -- towards it, but it was very clear that it was something that senator kennedy would have liked to have seen. >> yeah, he would have loved to continue the kennedy experience.

>> in the house of representatives. >> that is not the senate. as far as senator kennedy was concerned. we have a lot more to talk about. i want to go back to tony for the other important stories we're following. new numbers out today show new home sales surged almost 10% in july. it is the fourth straight monthly increase and the strongest month for new home sales since last september. the taliban are denying any involvement in a bombing that killed 43 people in kandahar, afghanistan, yesterday. the associated press says it received the denial in a text message from the militant group's spokesman. iraqi shiites are mourning one of their top leaders abdul aziz al hakim died today in neighboring iran, where he was undergoing lung cancer treatment. al hakim had been an ally of both the united states and iran. we will get another check of our top stories in 20 minutes. swine flu is turning up on america's college campuses. we will show you how students and school officious are responding. people notice my devotion to family. people notice my love for animals.

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with students back in class, an uptick of suspected cases of swine flu at colleges around the nation. here's wsb reporter george howell on the georgia tech campus here in atlanta. >> my cough. >> reporter: with all of the concerns about swine flu on the georgia tech campus, zach smith felt it best to get checked out. >> they want you to come in in case you have any flu-like symptoms, and i figured i usually wouldn't come in like this, but all the hype about h1n1, i might as well. >> reporter: school officials are urging people who feel sick to stay home, and immediately set up an appointment with health services on campus.

officials say the strategy is to approach every single case of flu as if it were swine flu. >> we're not testing all patients. if they have the right symptoms, we're treating them for suspected influenza or h1n1. because that's the main influenza that's floating around. >> reporter: so far about 100 cases of suspected flu have been reported at georgia tech, at smaller schools like georgia highlands college, one reported case of the flu has sparked heightened awareness. >> we've sent out lists of preventive measures, coughing in your bowl were, wiping off surfaces that are commonly used by many people with disinfectant wipes. >> reporter: officials even passed out hand sanitizers to students and staff. a bottle that corey biggers said he will use especially since he's feeling under the weather. >> i cough into my hands rather than into my elbow, and that could spread it. i hadn't thought about it. fortunately i got free sanitizer, so i can use it now.

>> that should do it. all right, senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, is here with us now, and, elizabeth, georgia tech isn't the only college campus that is reporting suspected cases of swine flu, correct? >> no. i mean, every day we're hearing about more colleges and universities where they've got cases of the flu that may or may not be h1n1. here's two that we've heard about. at the university of kansas, 118 cases of students with what they're calling flu-like symptoms. they don't know exactly what it is. university of georgia, 58 confirmed cases of influenza-a. what's important to reiterate here is that it's so unusual to see flu in august. >> right, right. yeah. >> i mean, this is strange. and it's not just on college campuses, but to have this much flu in august is very odd. >> elizabeth, give us a vaccine status update. where are we? >> they're still doing clinical trials and studying to make sure it's safe. there's expected to be some vaccine in the middle of october, but there may not be enough for everyone that wants it. there will be more vaccine

coming out november and december. >> would we even know if we have the virus, h1n1? >> no. i got an e-mail from a friend of mine, i feel awful, i have the flu, could i have swine flu? i said, i don't know, because the symptoms could be anything. and do you know what, she doesn't know either and likely her doctor doesn't either. swine flu looks and feels like any other kind of flu, so you don't know. >> will the doctor check you? >> i bet they won't. >> really? >> i bet they won't. because they sort of stopped checking everybody. there are so many people, it doesn't really matter what kind of flu you have. so likely you won't get a test. it's a little bit of a "take two aspirin and call me in the morning" situation. >> oh, brother. elizabeth, thank you. a republican senator facing heated questions and an emotional plea in this make-or-break month for health care reform. but the senator, who is also a doctor, says the current proposals are the wrong prescription. here's cnn's jim acosta. >> reporter: at this oklahoma city megachurch, republican

senator tom coburn was preaching to a conservative choir on health care reform. >> i think most of us here would like to see you and sarah palin in the white house. >> well, that isn't going to happen. >> reporter: but when one woman didn't like coburn's response to her question on prescription drugs -- >> i'm not a dumb person. >> i didn't -- >> i am a minority in oklahoma, i'm a democrat. >> reporter: some in the crowd started shouting, and they weren't saying "amen." >> wait a minute. guys, wait a minute. i want to make a point here. one of the things that's wrong with our country is we don't allow real legitimate debate. >> reporter: coburn, who is also a practicing physician, took questions only a doctor could answer, at a town hall earlier this week, a woman pleaded for his help. coburn told us his office is getting her help in her community. as it should be. >> my husband has traumatic brain injury. and his health insurance will not cover him to eat and drink.

and what am i supposed to tell him? are you going to help him? >> first of all, yeah, we'll help. the first thing we'll see what we can do individually to help you. >> reporter: coburn told us his office is getting her help in her community, as it should be, he says. >> we've had several people call us and say they're willing to help her. citizens. and so, you know -- >> reporter: can you do that with millions of uninsured people in this country who are in the same boat? >> no, they're not in the same boat. don't exaggerate. >> reporter: millions of people -- >> are you going to let me answer that question? >> reporter: when you hear the personal stories, does it at all change your issue on this issue? >> no. >> reporter: coburn, too, said he is sick of the insurance companies. >> as a practicing physician who has experienced the experience of discrimination by insurance companies, not based on medical facts, never putting their hands on a patient telling me what i can and cannot do to a patient, there's something wrong with that. >> reporter: but the doctor's a

firm believer that a government insurance program, or public option, is the wrong medicine. the president drops the public option, could you support him? >> well, it depends on what's in it. >> if you'd like to find more on what you've been seeing here on cnn, check out cnn.com/healthcare. you can even find out about the closest town hall meetings to you, the key players in the debate, the different plans, and, of course, the controversial sticking points to the plans. do we have senator chris dodd? let's go to senator chris dodd, who is offering his reflections on his friend, senator ted kennedy. >> normally i'd take the trip up to hartford, so, i really appreciate you coming down here. get you all in. just let me know when you're ready. >> sorry, senator. >> yeah. you saul set you guys? >> all set? >> this will be very brief. i don't have a long statement to make.

well, look, the country lost a great advocate. there are millions of people who counted on this guy every day to stand up for them. and for decades to come, history will talk about his legislative accomplishments and the difference he made in public policy. for me, i lost my best friend in the senate. just a great friend. was here many occasions, right here in this river. and so it's been a long year, a year and three months, but he died peacefully about 11:30. i talked to mrs. kennedy a little while ago. and he fought like a lion this last year, to stay alive, and to be around. she talked about him. we got the mental health parity bill done. we got the tobacco bill done. we got the national service bill done. we marked up the health committee bill on july 15th. sorry we didn't get the bill done yet, but we will, in time.

so, his presence over the last year has had great value. his spirit has been there during all of these debates, and while he wasn't there to cast votes, believe me, his presence was felt during these discussions, as they will be in the coming days. so, for me, it's just a great loss of a great friend. and a great, great advocate for people. so, i'm saddened by it deeply. it's like losing a brother. lost my sister about a month ago, and i feel this pain almost as much. so, thank you, all. i'll take some questions if you got them. any questions? >> any details about funeral arrangements? there was a report about ted being bury at arlington. >> yeah, i'll let the kennedy family respond to those. i know some plans, but i'd rather the family speak about that rather than me doing that. >> senator, how are you feeling? >> look, i'm doing better every day. two weeks ago had the surgery. and got a great health care advocate standing next to me and a couple more.

this morning we dropped grace off at her day camp. and after that, i decided, what could i do that -- talked about being alive. so, jackie and i took our 4-year-old picking berries, at 8:00 this morning, and all i could think about was teddy would approve. life is not a dress rehearsal. you take every day and live it to the fullest and maximize your time here on earth. that's what he did. that's what i intend to do as well. >> how exactly did you meet senator kennedy? >> i don't even know. i can't remember. i don't remember not knowing him. i guess, you know, it goes back a long way. he had the burden of serving with my father and me in the senate. and served with my dad from 1962 to 1971, january. i was elected in the house in '74, so we became -- i knew about him, we met each other, had known each other. through a great friendship that developed 30 years ago, when i

arrived in the senate, 1980, and it just -- just been a great friendship. on every single level. i don't know of another friend -- i have a lot of good friends. i don't know of another friend who was as empathetic as teddy has been to his friends. when our daughter, grace, was born, the first call i got was from teddy. when my sister passed away a month ago, one of the first calls i got was teddy, even though he's sicker than anything, obviously brain cancer. two weeks ago, i came out of surgery, first call, teddy, saying, "welcome to the club with cancer," and some choice comments which i can't refer to in public about having prostate surgery and what catheters meant to people. just the humor of the guy even in tough moments. that's the kind of friend he can be. he can make you laugh at the moment you thought you could least tolerate it, and would be there at the moment you needed him the most. >> will we ever see another senator like senator kennedy?

>> no, no, no, they haven't up until now. certainly, as i say, the history books, i think, will pay him -- pay him the kind of due, in time, i think certainly an issue, but even in time. he'll wear will historically. and as i said, there will be plenty written about his accomplishments over the years. but they're not apt to get as much of the personal stuff. and that's -- that's -- that's what i feel today. you know, look it, i'm going to miss him substantively, we had a great time, substantively, together. sat next to each other on the health committee for years. so, i will miss his good advice and counsel on how to get a bill through. but it's the personal story that i will miss. >> can you tell us about a personal story? what sticks in your mind? >> no, i can't. jackie and i were going back. jackie has known him for the last 20 years.

just spending time here in east hattam. i remember just driving him with him from old lime up here. and we came up joshua town road in the fall. i don't know if he said, this is the prettiest road in america. that road i told you around the area. it's a beautiful road, joshua town road. just in the middle of a conversation about something else. he'd just come out with things like that. the sailing trips with him. out in the middle of the ocean, i'd be his only audience. he'd been banging his fist on the side of the boat, about mental health and health care and people that are unemployed. i said, i'm the only audience. you don't have to scream to me about the issues. but his passions for the issues were so deeply felt they weren't for show. i know some people do that. he never did that. i never saw a false bone in his body when it came to caring about people, so my love for him went beyond -- >> that's a good moment to jump

in, senator chris dodd, choking back his emotions as he remarks on the passing of what he called his best friend in the senate, senator edward kennedy. the loss of senator kennedy, a great loss of a great friend. senator dodd went on to say, it's like losing a brother. and senator dodd, as you know, was diagnosed recently with prostate cancer. he said he had undergone surgery two weeks ago, and when he came out of that prostate surgery, he said the first call he received was from senator kennedy, who welcomed him to the cancer club. senator chris dodd, remembering his great friend, senator edward kennedy.

reading about washington these days... i gotta ask, what's in it for me? i'm not looking for a bailout, just a good paying job. that's why i like this clean energy idea. now that works for our whole family. for the kids, a better environment. for my wife, who commutes, no more gettin' jerked around on gas prices... and for me, well, it wouldn't be so bad if this breadwinner brought home a little more bread. repower america. i hope our senators are listening.

so what do you think?

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got to tell you, we've been getting a lot of positive signs on the economy lately, and even though analysts say the labor market will be the last area to rebound, it will eventually. here's the question -- will you be ready when it does? poppy harlow from cnnmoney.com has a look at where the jobs are likely to be when businesses start hiring again. it's today's "breakdown." what do you have for us, poppy? we're paying a close attention to this. >> when is the ever-present

question. we're expecting the weekly jobs report tomorrow. about 500,000 people expected to file for the first-time jobless benefits. that would actually be, believe it or not, an improvement from where we stood the previous week. there are a lot more companies talking about laying the groundwork for new growth. there's a new report, the first one from robert haas international and they partnered up with careerbuilder.com. they say that half or more of the managers they surveyed are planning to hire, bring on new workers in the next 12 months. that is good news. a separate survey also reaffirming that, that one comes from the american staffing association, showing demand for temporary and contract workers, tony, expected to pick up. that's a good indication, because we see employers hire freelancers and contractors before they bring them on as full-time employees, so that's a positive sign. so, when will the jobs become available? what will they be? here's what the report found. technology. we know technology stocks and technology companies overall haven't been hit as hard as others in this recession, say, compared to banks.

you'll see some of the tech jobs come back online. customer service jobs, these are customer-facing roles. they are indispensable to a company at a good time or a bad time. they are critical to a company's success, so we should see hires there. and sales, who are paid mainly through commission, tony, so the companies don't take as big a hit when you're not selling, so that's something to keep in mind. some strong signs there hopefully. >> right. any suggestions on how people can sort of ready themselves to get these jobs? >> absolutely. there's a whole series on cnnmoney.com called hired. and they go through a lot of these tips. one of the strongest ones is be selective when you are applying. employers say their biggest challenge is finding qualified applicants. believe it or not, they say about 44% of the resumes they get, even now, are for unqualified candidates. so, think quality, not necessarily quantity when you're applying. and think about taking the time to tailor your resume to the specific position. i've spoken to people that have done that, and they've gotten hired on the spot as a result. and also negotiate, 60% of

managers said they're willing to negotiate higher pay for qualified candidates, even people that are already still at the company. you can negotiate higher, or at least try. and 40% of managers said they'll give raises to their current employees to try to retain them when the economy rebounds. so, you can start talking about it. >> i like the sound of a lot of this. one more area here. do we know whether or not companies are started to rehire laid-off workers? >> that's a great question. they are. we saw it with general motors, bringing back 1,300 workers a few weeks a go. ford is doing the same. dell, the computer giant. a.k. steel, other companies bringing laid-off workers. the reason for that, they don't need to retrain them. overall it's cheaper for the companies. check it out when you have a sec, we'll pull it up for you cnnmoney.com/hired. we'll give you a few tips. one thing before you jump on board and you've been laid-off, this is a big story. make sure your company has legs. make sure you know where your company stands, there's nothing to keep them from laying you off

again. >> we love it. green shoots. >> we hope so. we hope so. >> all right, poppy, thank you. >> sure. one family facing a health crisis credits senator ted kennedy for saving a life. than a comparable honda civic. this chevy traverse has better mileage than honda pilot. the all-new chevy equinox has better mileage than honda cr-v. and chevy malibu has better mileage than accord. however, honda does make something that we just can't compete with. it's self-propelled. there's never been more reasons to look at chevy.

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we are hearing countless stories of how senator ted kennedy touched or changed people's lives. now, the story of how the senator saved a life. our senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, reports. >> reporter: in 1978, jessica katz lay dieing in a moscow hospital. >> she was getting weaker and weaker by the day, and we were so scared. >> reporter: jessica had a nutritional deficiency and had stopped growing. the soviet doctors couldn't save her. jessica's parents, knew she would only survive if he could get to a doctor outside the iron curtain. but the brutal soviet regime refused to let them or other

jewish families leave the country. the kgb was a constant threat. >> they created sort of crowd of angry mob that started beating us up and telling us, you know, hitler didn't, you know, kill enough of you. >> reporter: just when they thought no one could save their child, hope arrived in the form of a mysterious phone call. the caller invited boris to a midnight meeting with an unnamed guest. boris didn't dare ask who. >> you know in the soviet union not to ask too many questions over the phone. >> reporter: boris arrived at the meeting and to his shock, in walked senator ted kennedy. unknown to them, he had just met with breszhnev, he asked them t come to boston where jessica could get the care that jessica needed so badly. >> and they said yes. >> reporter: with 13-month-old jessica and her baby sister in

tow, the katz family arrived in america, the senator at their side. >> i would like to thank especially to senator kennedy, it was he who i can say now saved our life. >> reporter: kennedy personally found a job for boris at a computer software company. he now teaches at m.i.t. and even though it's been 30 years, katz still thinks of kennedy as a member of the family. >> you know, when we have dinner in the sense, there is a chair at the dinner table for senator kennedy, just because this is -- this is what he did. he saved us. >> he saved my life. >> reporter: today jessica katz is 31 years old and recently married. the senator didn't have to help you. >> he spent his whole life playing tennis on cape cod if he wanted to. he could have -- he's, like, a rich guy from a fancy family. >> reporter: but he did help her. >> there's millions of sick babies in the world, and he picked me. >> reporter: inspired by kennedy's life of public service, jessica chose to work

find housing for the homeless in new york city, honoring the man who traveled halfway around the world to save her life. elizabeth cohen, cnn, cambridge, massachusetts. i have to tell you, senator edward kennedy is just the latest passing in what has been a real year of loss. and you have high cholesterol. you've taken steps to try and lower both your numbers. but how close are you to your goals? there may be more you can do. only caduet combines two proven medicines... in a single pill to significantly lower... high blood pressure and high cholesterol. in a clinical study of patients... with slightly elevated blood pressure and cholesterol, caduet helped 48% reach both goals in just 4 weeks. caduet is one of many treatment options, in addition to diet and exercise... that you can discuss with your doctor. caduet is not for everyone. it's not for people with liver problems... and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. to check for liver problems, you need simple blood tests. tell your doctor about any heart problems...

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ted kennedy was the last of the four kennedy brothers and the only one who didn't die a violent death. the senator's eulogy for his brother robert in 1968 was one of his most eloquent moments on the public stage. >> beyond what he was in life, to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it. those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today pray that what he was to us, what he wished for others, will someday come to pass for all the world. >> senator kennedy speaking june 8th, 1968, at st. patrick's

cathedral in new york. we have lost many well-known personalities in recent weeks. legendary news anchor, walter cronkite was known as the most trusted man in america. he died july 17th at his home in new york. me was 92. columnist robert novak, one of washington's most well-known political commentators died after a battle with brain cancer last week. he was 78. the death of michael jackson shocked the world. he died two months ago on june 25th, and jackson's death from a prescription drug overdose has been ruled a homicide. he was 50. another legendary artist, les paul, died two weeks ago, the father of the electric guitar was 94. eunice kennedy schiver, the sister of ted kennedy, also died two weeks ago at the age of 88. she was remembered as the champion of the disabled who founded the special olympics. and as we bring in my colleague, kyra phillips